Mail receiving and delivery apparatus.



Nb. 893,515. PATENTED JULY 14, 1908.

T. KEEPPER. MAIL REGEIVING AND DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFIQE.

THOMAS KEEPFER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERY APPARATUS.

Application filed November 29, 1907.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS KEEPFER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Mail Receiving and Delivery Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful mail bag receiver and deliverer and consists of resilient means suitably supported in operative position and adapted to be moved by the contact with the mail bag in order to deliver the same to the car or to remove a bag from the car.

It further consists of other novel details of construction, all as will be hereinafter set forth.

Figure 1 represents a partial side elevation and partial sectional view of a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 represents a sectional view of the device in detached position. Fig. 4 represents a side elevation of a portion of the device.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings. It has been found in practice that in mail delivery and receiving apparatus it is necessary to have a resilient catch for the bag and also that the device should automatically operate to swing the bag from the support into the car and the device should be so arranged as not to interfere with the opening of the door of the car and should be of such form as to be easily removable.

In the present instance I have shown a construction for carrying out my invention, but it will be evident that the arrangement of the parts may be varied and other instrumentalities may be employed which will come within the scope of myinvention and I do not, therefore, desire to be limited to the exact construction as herein shown and described, but desire to make such changes as may come within the scope of my invention.

1 designates a portion of a car having the usual openingcomprising the door.

2 designates a support which is preferably formed of metal and which is adapted to be rigidly secured to the door posts 3 of the car. The support 2 is provided with the inclined track 4 and has the seat or depression 5 at a suitable point therein, preferably at the up-- per end of the track. I

6 designates an ear projecting outwardly Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1908.

Serial No. 404,200.

from the support and which is provided with a suitable opeing adapted to receive the pin or rod. 7, the lower end of which is situated in a suitable recess 8 in the lower portion of the support.

The arm consists of a T-joint 9 in the resent instance which can, however, be of any form or size, to which is attached the pipe or casing 10 having an opening at its outer end of less diameter than the bore of said pipe, forming the shoulder 11. Movably mounted in said pipe is a second pipe or rod 12 provided with a stop 13 and between which rod 12 and pipe 10 is seated a spring 14, which in the present instance is shown as a coiled spring.

On the end of the rod 12 is a grasping device, such as a hook 15, which may be integral with said rod or may be attached thereto in any desired manner, it being understood that the rod or pin 7 passes through the T-joint 9 in order to hold the parts in assembled position and that said spring 14 normally holds the rod 12 substantially in the position seen in Fig. 3, that is with the same telescoping within the pipe 10. A similar device as above described is attached to a post 16 which is situated at the station or other point, said post having the shelf 18 at a suitable point thereon, which is provided with the back 19 and the dividing piece 20 and upon said shelf the mail bag is adapted to be placed in position more especially as seen in Fig. 2, said bag having the handle or latch 22 connected therewith and extending beyond the plane of the shelf 18 and in line with the approaching hook 15 carried by the car 1. The mail bag 23 on the car is placed in position by the operator with '1 its handle 24 in line with the hook 15 which is on the device carried by the post 16.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. The pipe 10 and its connected parts are swung around to the position seen in Figs. 1 and 2, with the pipe 10 resting in the recess or seat 5 in the support 2, so that the hooks 15 in both instances will be facing in the proper direction to engage with the handles 22 and 24 of the mail bag. If the car 1 is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, the hook 15 on the car will engage with the handle 22 of the mail bag 21 and the force of the impact thereof will remove the ipe 10 from its seat 5 and the device wit the mail bag hanging thereon, will move down the track 4, swinging the same around in a position to be received in the car, the motion of said car assisting in' this operation as will be apparent the heel of the joint member 9 having vertical play upon the pin 7 as will be clearly understood from Fig. 3, so as to allow themember 9 to ride down the cam track as the pipe 10 and the parts carried thereby are moved from their normal positions. At the same time the hook 15 carried by the post 16 will engage with the handle 24 of the mail bag 23 and remove the same from the car and swing the bag to a suitable point adjacent the post 16, it being understood that the full weight of the bag will not be at once received upon the receiving or delivering device, since the bag is situated in a suitable position to prevent this. At the same time the parts cannot be broken by reason of the resilient connection between the rod 12 and the pipe 10, which allows a proper amount of play. By lifting out the pin 7 ,the pipe 10 and its connected parts can be removed and the pin 7 can drop back into place.' In this way the device does not form an obstruction to the door of the car and at the same time itcan be placed upon the opposite door post if the train is moving in the opposite direction from that described.

From the above it will be seen that I have devised a simple and strong device which is positive in its action, but which can be removed or replaced as desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, a fixed support, a track thereon, a seat on said support, and an arm loosely mounted on a pivot in said support and carrying a grasping device normally resting in said seat, and adapted to travel down said track when properly actuated therefor.

2. In a device of the character described, a support, a track thereon, a seat on said support, and a lengthwise resilient arm carrying a grasping device normally resting in said seat and adapted to travel down said track when properly actuated therefor.

3. In a device of the character described, a non-rotatable support adapted to be secured to a car, a seat thereon, an inclined track leading therefrom, an arm having a grasping device normally resting in said seat and adapted to be actuated by direct engagement with a bag and to move down said track when properly actuated, and means for holding said arm in position.

4. In a device of the character described, a non-rotatable support adapted to be secured to a car, a seat thereon, an inclined track leading therefrom, an arm having a grasping device normally resting in said seat and adapted to be actuated by direct engagement with a bag and to move down said track when properly actuated, and a removable pin for holding said arm in position.

57 In a device of the character described, a

non-rotatable support, adapted to be secured to a car, a seat thereon, an inclined track leading therefrom, an arm having a grasping device normally resting 1n said seat and' adapted to be actuated by direct engagement with a bag and to move down said track when properly actuated, means for normally holdin said arm in position on said support, anc means for preventing accidental displacement of said arm-.

6. In a device of the character described, a support adapted to be secured to a car, a seat thereon, an inclined track leading therefrom, an arm having a grasping device normally resting in said seat and adapted to be actuated by direct engagement with a bag and to move down said track when properly actuated, and an ear projecting from said arm for thereof.

7. In a device of the character described, a support having a seat therein, an inclined track leading therefrom, an ear on said support, a pin carried by said ear and support, a

joint pivotally mounted on said pin, a pipe.

carried by said joint, and a rod having a hook: thereon resiliently connected with said pipe.

8. Ina device of the character described, a support having a seat therein, an inclined track leadingtherefrom, an ear on said sup port, a pin carried by said ear and support, a joint pivotally mounted on said pin, a pipe carried by said joint, a rod telescoping in said pipe, and a spring connecting the same form ing a resilient connection between the parts.

THOMAS KEEPFER.

Witnesses:

JosEPn M. I'IOAGLAND, CHAS. BAUMANN.

preventing accidental displacement. 

